Steam pressing iron



Dec. 14, 1943. M. A. SCHWARTZ 2,336,807

STEAM PRESSING lRON Filed May 2l, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1l Dec. 14, 1943. M, A. SCHWATZ n 2,336,807

STEAM PRES S ING IRON Filed May 2l, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 14, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STEAM PREssING TRON bMorris A. Schwarta, Los Angeles, Calif. Application May 21, 1941, seriai'No. 394,399

11 claims.

y fabrics being worked by the iron.

In this type of iron having its self contained steam generator, it is desirable to assemble the various unitary parts of the generator by riveting and in this diilculty has been experienced to secure water and steam tight joints. A steam generator of this type must be made quite thin in order that heat may be transferred by conduction or otherwise through the generator from a heating unit thereabove, transform the `water into the steam and supply heat to the sole plate. One of the objects and features of my invention is constructing an assembled steam generator of a riveted type by employing two plates with grooves or openings therebetween for the flow of water and the generation and flaw of steam, then providing a cement and a cover plate tted adjacent one of the plates having the passages therebetween. The whole assemblage is then riveted together. Considered. more specifically as to the steam generator, this provides a bottom plate with channels formed in its upper surface for the passage of water, the generation of steam and the ow of steam to outlet perforations through the bottom plate. This bottom plate is characterized by curved surfaces adjacent the rivet holes 'on its upper side. A cap plate of thin material such as a thin copper sheet fits on the bottom plate which is usually aluminum, a layer of cement ceramic is then spread on the cap plate and to corinne this cement I provide a top plate of good heat conducting material such as sheet aluminum, this also having complementary` rivet openings. The assembly of the plates with the mastic is then tightly riveted,

the riveting causing the cap plate to conform to the curved upper edges of the bottom plate adjacent the rivet periorations. This construction therefore provides a thin fiat steam generator which may be shaped to conform to the ironing shoe with which it is to be used. The shoe itself would then have steam outlets or perforations aligning with those of the bottom plate. In this type of construction another" feature of my invention is forming the bottom plate with an integral hollow Water duct structure which may connect to a reservoir carried by the iron or by a flexible tube to an overhead water supply.

In pressing irons having a self containing steam generator supplied by Water from a reservoir carried by the iron, it is necessary to use a check valve or the equivalent to prevent the steam from blowing the water back into the reservoir. Steam is frequently developed with greater rapidity than it can nd an outlet through the perforations in the ironing surface of the shoe. The ordinary check valve is not suitable for this as the pressure in the generator must be reduced sufficiently to allow more water to enter through p the check valve from the reservoir and until this occurs there is no pressure to drive the water trapped between the check valve and the steam space into such latter space to be turned into steam.

My invention therefore comprehends an expansible resilient acting pressure chamber for the water on the discharge side of the check valve so that when the steam pressure causes a back ow of the water and builds up a pressure, the rst action is to close the check valve and the water ow from the reservoir and then to cause the trapped Water to expand the resilient water chamber, therefore when the steam pressure decreases and before the check valve opens for a further supply from the reservoir, the resiliency of the expansion chamber drives the water into the steam transfer portion of the generator. This maintains a much steadier flow of water and steam than in the conventional simple check valve control.

My invention is illustrated in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of ,the iron taken in the direction of the arrow l of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a plan taken in the direction of the arrow 2 of Fig. 1 with the top of the reservoir broken away.

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1 in the direction of the arrow on a much larger scale.

Fig. 4 is a plan of the steam generator fitted in the sole plate with part of the generator broken away.

Fig. 5 is a section through the outlet of the reservoir illustrating the resilient expansion chamber for trapped water.

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of a modification of the iron, the water feed being from an overhead supply.

vThe iron, as illustrated in Figs. 1 through 5 is -flanges of the sole plate.

` A cap plate 55 is fitted over the built up with a sole plate I I, this being illustrated as having the ironing surface I2, an upwardly extendingflange I3 which is beveled on the outside but at right angles to the bottom surface on the inside. This sole plate has a top surface I4 usually parallelV to the bottom surface, there l being a series of steam ducts I5 formed by small steam generator and the heating assemblies in place tting within the iianges of the sole plate. Thissole plate has been shown as of the conventional shape. It will be appreciated that it may however be made in any desired configuration..

The steam generator assembly'25 is indicated particularly in Figs. Sand 4. The generator as above mentioned has an outlineto fit within the The steam generator in the illustration is built up of an assembly of plates of which the bottom plate 26 is preferably of a casting, usually of aluminum which has a series'` of channels 21; These are indicated as providinga central channel 28, a first divergent channel 29 and a third and outward CII channel connecting to channel 29 by a neck 1 3|. There are a series of drilled Asteam escape apertures 32 which align with the steamv ducts I5 in the sole plate, these, both Vbeing drilled at the same time when the generator is assembled in the sole plate to obtaina true registry. The water supply inlet 35 is' a casting formed integral with the bottom plate, this fitting in the notch I5 ofthe ilange I3 of the sole plate and extending to one side as shown in Fig. 4 to position the reservoir at one side of the iron. There is a riser end'fportion 38 and al water duct or passage 31 which leads from the riser which supports a charge of the duct is in the reservoir hereunder described. The discenter channel 28. n The above mentioned channels for the water f supply andthe steam generation are spaced apart by a series of'ribs indicated by the numeral 4D of which there may be considered a central pair of ribs 4I on each side of the central channel 28, an outer pair of `ribs 42 and peripheralribs 43 at the side meeting atthe front or toe of the iron and a rear rib 44. Thus the water chan.-

nels are in reality formed by depressions between the ribs, the outer or marginal ribsy forming a rim. A characteristic of Aall these ribs and rims is that they have acurved upper surface indicatedy at 45. This curvature is shown as concave and forms shallow grooves extending lengthwise of each rib. Where the ribs intersect these concave grooves merge together. The water channels are roughened as indicatedby the raised portions 45 to obstruct the flow of water and retard the discharge of the steam. There are rivet perforations 41 through the bottom plate 26, these being centered in the ribs and the lower end of each of these perforations is countersunk asillustrated in Fig. 3. r

bottom plate 26, this conforming to the'contour and being sufilciently thin andflexible that it may be depressed in curves such as 56 at the longitudinal grooves end portion of the.

of the ribs. This plate is preferably of good heat conducting material as well as being sufficiently thin and soft to be flexible such as being made of a thin sheet of copper. A layer of cement 60 is spread in a plastic form over the cap plate 55. In this a sufficient amount is provided to fill the entire space within the rim I3 of the` sole plate and this plastic cement is conned by a top plate G5 which is preferably thicker than the cap plate 55 and considerably stiffer. This plate should have good heat conducting characteristics for which I find aluminum is satisfactory. When'assembled the rivet perforations are preferably drilled through the assembly of the plates and plastic, these conforming to alignment with the perforations 41 in the bottom` plate. The rivets are then inserted and riveted,

'the rivets being indicated by the numeral 66 having an upper head 61 pressed into the aluminum top plate and a countersunk bottom head 68 fitting in the countersink of the rivet perlforations 41. The pressing of the plates t0- gether exerts sufficient pressure on the cap plate 55 which together with the riveting causes this plate to have a concave curvature 56 to conform to the concave grooves on the ribs and the peripheral rib structure. In addition the plastic causes a downward curved depression 69 at the channels of the bottom plate. This with the roughened portions further restricts the cross sectional areas of these channels to the flow of water and steam. The curvatures and the small free areas of the cap plate and of the top plate take care of expansion and contraction of the metals of these plates due to'changing temperatures. The cement lling or creamc between the plates has substantially the same coefficient of expansion as the Vmetal plates confining this cement. No objectionable strains are brought on the thin metal sheets which might otherwise tend to crack these. The whole assemblage formforms to the shape of the iron having a snug flt inside of the rim I3 of the soleplate of the iron and has a close fit on the top plate of the steam generator. Y

The assembly of the steam generator and the electric heat generator 15 are confined by a cap plate 80, this preferably being aluminum, shaped at its edges t0 'fit inside of the rim I3 of the sole plate and having diagonal perforations 8l spaced around the rim with countersunk portions 82 to receive vscrew bolts 83 which attach the cap plate to the sole plate and exert a downconventional manner.

ward pressure. The cap plate has a center opening 84 to align with an opening in the electric 'generator to accommodate a thermostat or the fingl the back flow of the water.

rresilient expansible pressure chamber for the supply Water is illustrated particularly in Fig.

in which the pressure chamber assembly is designated by the numeral |20. For this purpose the water supply inlet 35 as above mentioned has a duct 31 leading to the center channel 28l of the steamgenerator in the construction of Figs. 3 and 4. For conveniencevsake and to 'place the reservoir to one side in order not to interfere with the user of the iron presuming such user is right handed, a water supply inlet extends along the rear end of the iron. Attached to the riser 3B is a screw threaded reservoir support |2| with a reservoir |22 mounted thereon. This is illustrated as havinga base |23, sides |24, a top |25 witha filler cap |26. A water discharge elbow is connected to the support or fitting |2| and has a rubber tube |3| attached thereto by' a suitable clamp. A nipple |32 is secured to the other end of the rubber tube by another clamp and a ball check valve assembly |33 fittedon the nipple. If desired this may be attached directly to the end of therubber tube. 'I'he inlet for the valve is indicated at |34.

The operation of this expansible chamber structure is as follows: When the iron is being used in pressing garments, water is fed at a suitable rate through the check valve and the various ducts to the channels where the water is boiled to generate steam and the steam discharged. 'Ihe action of steam generation however is so rapid that sometimes there is a back pressure of steam tending to force the water back into the reservoir. This back iiow or back pressure causes a seating of the check valve prevent- The water trapped'in the rubber tube |3| causes an eX- pansion of such tube until such times as the steam pressure decreases, then the contracting action of the resilient pressure chamber 4causes a flow of water again into the steam generator from the rubber tube before the check valve opens, then as the steam is developed water flows through the check valve into the steam generator. Suitable control valves may be used to regulate the iiow of Water or the cap may have small registering apertures for inlet of air into the reservoir which will cause a regulation of the flow of water to the steam generator.

In Fig. 6 I illustrate a suitable construction for connection to an overhead reservoir or to a water supply line. In this case the water supply inlet 35 having a riser 36 is provided with a valve |40 which is manually operable. This valve leads to a small section of hose which is expansible'and on the top of which there is mounted a check valve |42. An outer jacket connects valve |40 with a needle valve |43 which in turn is connected to a hose |44 that leads to an overhead reservoir or to a Water supply line. The electric socket |45 with the lead cord |46 leads'off to one side of the iron. When made for a right-hand person this leaves the iron quite free of any obstructions of the electric lead cord or the water hose. The iron may be made in either right or left-hand constructions. The hose on which check valve |42 is mounted functions very much the same as hose |3|. The needle valve |43 may be adjusted to cause a correct amount of steam to be generated'. Valve I40permitsthe feed of water to be turned off or on without disturbing the adjustment of the needle valve.

It is believed unnecessary to enter into a detailed description of the manner of manufacture of th steam generator 25 shown in sectional detail in Figs. 3 and 4. However, I findit an advantage afterspreading the layer of` cement' over the cap plate` which contactskv thefribs ofthe bottom plate'26 'while the cementis still sufficiently plastic to flow, to t "the top plate 65 and to so clamp this at the edges that thev edges of this plate'are bent downwardly whereby, when pressure is exerted forcing the-bottom plate 26 and the topplate B5 towards each other, no cement can escape at the peripheral edge of lthe The vsteam generator is ygenerally clamped in the process of manufacture between two plates or iiat surfaces having openings to permit insertion of a tool to head therivets. The compression caused by the cement forces .the cap plate 55 where it fits over the ribs to conformto the transverse curved shape of such ribs as the cement is confined at its peripheral edge and while still plastic 'it' develops a pressure similar to fluids making a close bond with the rivets. 'The rivets at the peripheral edge are preferably headed'up first land then the rivets through the interior ribs'are headed. lOf course when thecement sets it no longeracts as a plastic and there is no danger of anyv escape at the peripheral edge of the steam generator.

Various changes maybe made lin the details" ofthe construction without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as deiined by the appended claims. f

` I claim: v l 1. A steamgenerator for an electric iron having a bottom plate with al series of connected channels, there being perforations` connected with one ormore channels for theclischarge of steamthrough the bottom plate, the bottom plate l having a series of `ribs between channels, al cap plate-fitted over theribs, a hardenable plastic ceramic on the cap plate, a top plate confining g -the layer of ceramic, rivets extending through the bottom plate, the .cap plate, the top plate andv the cement and forming water tight joints,`therre for water to at least one of the being an inlet channels.

2. In an iron, a steam generating unit having a bottom plate with perforations for discharge vof steam, a cap plate mounted thereon, there being channels for water and steam between the bottom and the cap plate, a layer of hardenable plastic ceramic on'the cap plate, a heat transference top plate, rivets securing the bottom, the cap and the top plate together and forming a steam and water tight connection with the bot-A f tom plate and aheat supply unit placed on the top plate. v

3. In an iron the combination of a sole plate having an ironing surface and a peripheral,V ange, a steam generating unit having a bottom platewitha series of connected channels with ribs therebetween, the ribs having a curved upper surface considered transversely, a cap plate tted over the ribs and shaped to the contour thereof, a layer of hardenable ceramic on the cap plate, a top plate confining the ceramic, rivets vextending through the ribs of the bottom plate, the

cap vand top plates, there being a Water connecftion to one of the channels and steam discharge.l

perforations through the'sole plate and the bottom plate and an electric heating unit on the top plate and a securing means engaging the heating unit and the said iianges.

, 4. A steam generator for irons including a flat surfaced bottom plate having a series of connected channels spaced apart .by ribs, the ribs f havingafcurved upper surface considered transversely'toveach rib,fa cap plate on 'thefribs and shapedto conformto thefcurved shape ofthe tops of ,the ribsgfthe sap nate with the vbottom 4 plate Aand thechannels forming a series of .pas-

sages for waterand steam, a layer'of hardenable against' the closed check valve by pressure of steam `and on release of the steam pressure to L feed Water prior to the opening of the check.

,ceramic o n the cap plate, a flat top plate resting "on and'coniining vthe cement, rivets extending Vthrough the bottom,l `the cap and the topplates attire ribs and forming waterl and steam tight Y `vjoints, theY bottom-plate having discharge l. perforations for steam and a water inlet connection to n. oney of the channels.

jflnan electric'iron a steamV generator hav-.- ing passagesfor water` and steam,'a water supply reservoir, a connection from the reservoir to one of the passages'havinganfintake-check valve and Aa resilient expansion-chamber located on the opposite side of the checkvalve from the reservoir expanding under the action of water forced back against theV check valve by-the generation of s steam and adapted by itsre'silier'icy to feed water,

f to the-said Water and steam passages prior to the opening of the check valve.

6. In a steam generating iron having passages f V formater andsteamand the discharge of steam,

a water supplyconnection to one'ofthe passages structure between the check` valve and the passages, the expanding structure being adapted to l expandnnder the action of water `forced backl wai-ily` against the closed check valve and on ,K contraction Atofeed water, to the passages prior to theopening of thecheck valve.

.7. `In an ironfor generatingrsteamfromwater valve. n Y Y 8. A steam generator for electric irons com- `prsing a bottom plate having connected channels on its upper surface, holes for the discharge of steam in the bottom plate at the bottoms of yat least some of said channels, a deformable plate disposed overvthe tops of the channels, a hardenableplasticceramic over the deformable plate, a cap plate over the plastic, and means for securing thef cap plate and bottom plate together.

9. AY steam generator 'for electric irons comprisingI a bottom vplate havingconnected chan- ".nels definedv by ribs on its upper surface, holes for the discharge of steam in the bottom plate f. at the bottoms of at least some of said channels,

a deformable plate disposed over the tops of the channels, a hardenable ceramic over the deformable plate, a cap plate over thev ceramic, and

' means for securing the y cap plate and bottom plate together through the ribs defining said 10. A steam generator for irons comprising a .VK bottom plate having upstanding ribs dening a l `including a check'va'lve and ak tubular expanding pluralityof connected channels, the top surfaces of the ribs being concave, a deformable -plate resting'on the ribs, ceramic material over the deformable plate, la. cap plate over the ceramicmaterial, Yand means connecting the cap plate and bottom plate together.

11. A steam generator for irons comprising a bottom plate'having upstanding ribs defining a rplurality of connected channels, the top surfaces Vof the ribs beingA concave, a deformable plate 'resting on the ribs, ceramic. material over the deformable plate, a cap plate over the ceramic material, and means connecting the cap plate `and bottom plate together through said ribs.

MORRIS A. SCHWARTZ. 

